Group C: Holon and Galatasaray set up another rendezvous
Season Seven of the Basketball Champions League is starting next week. Lenovo Tenerife are the defending champions, meaning they have the biggest target on their backs ahead of the Regular Season start.
MIES (Switzerland) - Season Seven of the Basketball Champions League is starting next week. Lenovo Tenerife are the defending champions, meaning they have the biggest target on their backs ahead of the Regular Season start.
Time for us to introduce all the 32 teams, group by group, continuing with two Final Four contenders in Hapoel Holon and Galatasaray Nef, joined by perennial Belgian champs Filou Oostende and the Polish newcomers Legia Warszawa in Group C.
| GAMES | STREAK | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | Last 5 | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 | Hapoel Holon HOLO | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Filou Oostende OOST | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Galatasaray Nef GSN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Legia Warszawa WARS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Hapoel Holon
Who are they?
Current Israeli champions, reaching the throne for the second time in their history, first one being back in 2008. They also won the Balkan League in 2021, and their continental success in the Basketball Champions League made their tiger recognizable all over Europe.
Coached by Guy Goodes, Hapoel Holon kept their core together, while bringing back a fan favorite in C.J. Harris who led them to Final Eight in 2021. With all of their talent, they have plenty of guys who can go for 20+ points on any given night, something that became their brand since they entered the BCL back in 2017-18.
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Their biggest BCL success?
Holon played the Final Four last season, improving on their Quarter-Finals appearance from 2021. They were a part of every BCL season except for the first one, and after they transferred to the FIBA Europe Cup in 2019, they made it all the way to the Semi-Finals there, too.
Why should I watch them?
Because they kept Joe Ragland in town to run the point and dish out 10+ assists. Because they kept Chris Johnson, Fred Bourdillon, Hayden Dalton and Niv Misgav from last season, and because they brought back C.J. Harris. Also, the additions of Shawn Dawson, Marvin Jones, Erick Green and Kenny Kadji make them look like they could go back to the Final Four once again.
Galatasaray Nef
Who are they?
A team with 16 Turkish League titles to their name, the last one coming in 2013. They also won the EuroCup in 2016, and their 2021-22 campaign felt like the trophies will come back to this part of Istanbul pretty soon.
Coached by Andreas Pistiolis, Galatasaray Nef were third in Turkey last season, pushing Anadolu Efes all the way to Game 5 in the Semi-Finals, and they also played the Semi-Finals of the Turkish Cup. The off-season was impressive, expect them to be a contender to go all the way in the BCL.
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Their biggest BCL success?
They reached the Round of 16 last season. That was their second BCL run, the first one ended in Regular Season in 2020-21.
Why should I watch them?
Dee Bost, Braian Angola, Angelo Caloiaro, Dylan Ennis, Jehyve Floyd, Sadik Emir Kabaca, Raymar Morgan all on the same team. That's why.
Filou Oostende
Who are they?
The best Belgian team over the last 11 years, picking up 11 straight titles in Belgium, taking their grand total to 23 championships and 20 Belgian Cups, with 12 Supercups on the side.
Coached by Dario Gjergja in all 11 of those championship winning years, Oostende are known for their grit and grind approach, with a lot of physicality, tough defense and under control offense. Their international players are usually MVP contenders, their domestic players are the backbone of a successful Belgian national team.
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Their biggest BCL success?
They made it to the Round of 16 back in 2019-20 and in 2021-22, being so close to reaching the Quarter-Finals last time around after their famous 18-point win over Unicaja.
Why should I watch them?
Because coach Gjergja has a style that makes Oostende such a joy to follow, whether it's forcing youngsters to grow up before our eyes - which is why Vrenz Bleijenbergh's arrival seems like a big deal - or it's about playing through his veterans in Pierre-Antoine Gillet, Dusan Djordjevic and Olivier Troisfontaines.
Legia Warszawa
Who are they?
A part of the Legia sports society in Poland, they won the Polish Basketball League seven times, but their most recent title was back in 1969. That is why their 2022 success was impressive, reigniting the fire with a Finals appearance last season.
Coached by Wojciech Kaminski for the last two years, they made a gigantic step forward already in 2020-21, going from 14th to 4th in Poland. In 2021-22, they swept two past BCL clubs from Poland, Arged BM Stal Ostrow Wielkopolski in the Quarter-Finals, and Anwil Wloclawek in the Semi-Finals, before falling to Slask Wroclaw in the Final.
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Their biggest BCL success?
They are making their BCL debut this season. Last season, they reached the Quarter-Finals of the FIBA Europe Cup, losing to Reggio Emilia.
Why should I watch them?
Because they are hungry for European success, they have an amazing atmosphere in their arena, and with guys like Devyn Marble, Travis Leslie and Janis Berzins, they can beat anybody on their day.